Now mainly grown in America, Spain, the Middle East and India, pomegranates originated in the…

Method

Generously grease a 23cm springform tin, then line the base with parchment. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Put the butter and chocolate in a medium bowl and gently melt together, either over a pan of simmering water or in the microwave. Stir until smooth, then set aside.

Crack the eggs into a large bowl, add the sugar, then whisk for 5-8 mins with electric hand beaters until thick, mousse-like and doubled in volume. Pour the chocolate mix around the edge of the bowl, then fold together using a large metal spoon until the batter is evenly brown with the odd ribbon of chocolate appearing. Don’t rush this bit, it’s important to preserve the bubbles you’ve so carefully made. Sift over the almonds, flour and ¼ tsp salt, then fold in until even. Slowly pour the batter into the tin, then use a spatula to get every last bit from the bowl. Bake on a middle shelf for 30-35 mins, or until the cake is risen and set on top. Cool the cake in its tin on a rack. The torte may sink and crack a little, which is fine.

For the topping, bring the cream to the boil. Put the chocolate in a bowl with the icing sugar, then tip the hot cream over it. Leave for a few mins, stir until smooth, then let it cool and thicken for 10 mins. Carefully remove the torte from its tin onto a plate, then spread the icing over the top, letting it drip down the sides. Leave to set for a few mins, then scatter with the pomegranate seeds and either chill for a few hours, or serve straight away.

Absolutely fantastic! Very rich so only small portions needed. Baked it for 35 mins and it turned out slightly squidgy in the centre but this firmed up on cooling. I made chocolate sauce topping with a different chocolate containing fine ground cocoa which had a slightly smoked flavour .....wonderful. Pomegranate seeds looked beautiful and added a nice element to texture of cake. Will definitely be making this one again!

ievasaule

16th Feb, 2014

5.05

Fantastic torte! Very light and airy, and not stodgy at all (unlike most chocolate cakes). I really enjoyed this one and I am not a great chocolate cake fan! Comments - it took longer than 35 min to bake, maybe my tin was deeper (it was one of those heart shaped tins) but after 35 min the inside was still liquid, pourable. I added 12 minutes to the baking time checking every 4 min, it still looked very wobbly when removed from the oven (like a brownie bake) but it turned out perfect. Icing is to die for… Pom seeds - we didn't think they added anything, not in taste. They looked pretty(ish) but not spectacular. I'd use raspberries or passion fruit next time.
All in all - this recipe will be repeated over and over again!

drfabio

12th Feb, 2014

5.05

SO good! I used raspberries instead of pomegranate which worked really well. I worried that it would be too rich with so much dark chocolate but stuck to the recipe and I'm so pleased I did. It wasn't too rich for us at all - in fact, 4 of us managed to polish off half of it in one sitting... It was an expensive one to make, but I'm looking forward to a chance to make it again!

Frantic Flapjack

23rd Dec, 2013

This turned out beautifully and the pomegranate seeds make it look very festive! It is very rich and you only need a very small slice. The recipe says slice into 12 but for a party, you could probably get twice that amount from it as the finished cake is very large.

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